This band was formerly known as the YMCA Glasgow Wind Orchestra, and I first encountered them as a player in my college days. I took over the baton in 2012, and have been having a terrific time every week since then. The band is an adult community band, so is populated by players of all ages, and from a wide range of occupations, but they all have the same shared interest – that of making music purely for the fun of it. We don’t compete (thankfully), but we do play concerts in various churches and community events across the central belt of Scotland, in addition to our own concerts in central Glasgow.

The music we play is varied, from standard wind band material to show tunes and original compositions, as well as some of my own arrangements. The one thing all our music has in common is that every piece has to pass the “punter appeal” test. If our audiences dont enjoy listening to it, we don’t play it!

Decide for yourself – we’ve recorded a few of our concerts, and they are available on our Soundcloud page.

East Dunbartonshire Council Schools’ Concert Band

East Dunbartonshire Schools’ Concert Band 2017

East Dunbartonshire Council run a full range of authority bands and orchestras, allowing pupils of every age and ability the chance to perform in an ensemble to suit their current stage, from Primary Training Orchestra to Senior Orchestra.

Included in this range of ensembles, there are 2 bands for wind, brass and percussion players – the Wind Band for junior players, and the Concert Band for the more experienced. I have conducted the Concert Band for 4 years, and every year, I continue to be more impressed. The players are all taken from a total of only 8 secondary schools, yet there is no music that I worry about putting in front of them. So much so that we have performed pieces like West Side Story and the music of Frank Sinatra.